Going out for a night is an expensive business these days.
Gig tickets show no sign of dropping to recession-conscious prices and getting in a round of drinks will still leave you with little change from a 20. Could it be that mother was right when she advised us as children to make our own fun Not necessarily. There are still plenty of interesting events going on — if you know where to look. A new weekly guide, Le Cool, was launched last night with the mission statement of alerting readers to places and activities in that are “not necessarily trendy — just really good”. But is it possible to entertain yourself for an entire weekend in Dublin for free I decided to martyr myself on a zero budget last weekend to find out. Taking his advice, I start my weekend fun on Friday lunchtime with a trip to on Suffolk Street for a 1pm in-store performance by the band Director. I am expecting it to be peopled by angsty young musos, and wonder if I will get away with wolfing down a sandwich while hiding out in the world music section. One besuited guy in a pink tie is rocking out in the middle of a group of grey hoodies. I spot a friend, Grainne, an architect, bopping on her lunch break. The tiny frontman with the big voice thanks the audience in a distinctively mid-Atlantic twang. “I thought they were from ,” says Grainne. No one tells me off for spilling crumbs on a pile of African percussion CDs, so I’m happy.
That evening, I end up providing the entertainment. It’s the opening night of Dublin Dance Week and there are free dance lessons in Meeting House Square in Temple Bar. I arrive at 7pm to a windswept square and just as I’m thinking of slinking away, another lost-looking soul arrives. Her name is Emma and her two friends have let her down.